At the Dec. 11 meeting, the Boston Township Board of Trustees discussed the budget for the 2014 year and how the new Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) with Peninsula will affect it.

According to the draft of the meeting minutes, Fiscal Officer Joanne Noragon reported the anticipated revenue for 2014 is $575,600, including $102,000 in projected revenue from the JEDD. However, township expenses are expected to be about $613,000 for the 2014 year, according to the draft minutes.

According to Noragon, the shortfall in expenses comes from a few sources, including: drastic cuts by the state in sharing both sales tax revenues and gasoline tax revenues with townships and the inability of a township’s real estate tax base to provide revenue for services the township provides.

Noragon recommended cuts to the expenditures as the first remedial measure in reducing the budget shortfall.

In future years, the projected revenue from the JEDD will fall to about $91,000, after the township has recovered the expenses of forming the JEDD.

In other business, according to the draft minutes:

Peninsula Mayor Doug Mayer informed trustees work on the Bob Pruitt property has come to a stop and there has been no communication for more than a month.
Pruitt had been working on clearing vehicles and trailers off his property for the past several months.
Legal counsel Ed Pullekins recommended trustees make arrangements to have the trailers that are marked for removal removed, and he will try to get in contact with Pruitt’s lawyer.

Trustees approved the reappointment of Patty Tesmer to the Cemetery Board and appointed Ron Summers to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Trustee Amy Anderson said the Valley Fire District will deliver Share-a-Christmas items Dec. 21. Share-a-Christmas is an annual campaign to provide food and Christmas gifts to Boston Township residents in need.

Trustee Randy Bergdorf said the progress on repairing/replacing the roof on the Boston Township Hall building is nearing completion. Bergdorf and the other trustees discussed the dedication of the workers, commenting on how they have been working seven days a week when possible, often during wet and snowy weather.

The next Boston Board of Trustees meeting has been moved to Dec. 23 at 6:30 p.m. due to Christmas. The meeting will take place in the administrative offices at Boston Township Hall, located at the corner of Main Street and Riverview Road in Peninsula.